In an effort to profit off the latest beauty and wellness trend, Pinrose (a popular fragrance brand) revealed its Starter Witch Kit was hitting Sephora’s shelves on October 9th. However, both Sephora and Pinrose missed the mark—and real witches took to social media to share their rightful outrage.

The kit, which was set to retail at $42, included a deck of tarot cards, a rose quartz crystal, a bundle of white sage, and several Pinrose fragrances. Due to the rise of crystals, herbs, and tarots in the past few years, it’s not surprising that Pinrose and Sephora jumped on the bandwagon. But the way the companies executed the kit struck a nerve with practicing witches.

"Urban [Outfitters], Free People, a bunch of those stores have already been selling white sage and crystals for years," Herstik said. "But what makes this kit different is one, the name, and two, the fact that white sage is being overharvested and not as easily available to the indigenous people it’s sacred to. Three, there’s no context to help people explore witchcraft in a way that’s deep and meaningful."

What do you think of the "Starter Witch Kit" from @pinrose? A gimmick to sell perfume, appropriation from #Native people's sacred practice, "fluffy bunnies" as Willow might say, or theft and profit from indigenous culture? Do you think @Sephora should CARRY it or CANCEL it? pic.twitter.com/CwVib9M6Ik

Based on the trendy holographic packaging, our guess is that Pinrose was trying to sell the Starter Witch Kit as an aesthetic rather than an educational and/or spiritual guide. This is deeply troubling for those who have committed themselves to learning the craft, and many practitioners, including Herstik, believe the kit is a form of cultural appropriation.

This whole wave sephora is on trying to sell 'witch kits' is just fucking weird and annoying & now we're gonna have the internet flooded by girls who just like the 'aesthetic' of it acting like witches cause its 'cute'. Witchcraft isn't a joke. Fools.

Don’t just buy a kit and think you can be a witch. Educate yourself first. Talk to elders. Read books. Understand what you are calling in, what you are trying to make happen. Magic is not something to play with because it’s the latest trend.

Witchcraft or Paganism (or however you refer to it) is a religion. One with actual practices and guidelines. It is not a basic bitch bandwagon. Spirituality is not a toy. Don't buy the #witchkit@sephora is selling.

Herstik explained that, to her, the Starter Witch Kit felt like cultural appropriation, “because there’s no information or context to honor the people this practice and herb comes from.” She went on to say that Sephora and Pinrose seemed to be “co-opting for money and gain, and white washing sacred practices” that generations of indigenous and “latinx people, people of color, and other minorities have cultivated for centuries.”

"It just felt like capitalism at its worst, selling something because its trendy instead of working with actual stores owned by witches," Herstik added. "Sephora has enough money to hire a witch to be a consultant, partner with independent sellers, and actually make something real, powerful, and magical! And they didn’t."

The online debate may have started over the kit, but the layered arguments revealed more issues within the witchcraft community.

All these girls are mad about the Sephora “witch kit” but buy their incense at Urban Outfitters and crystal water bottles at Free People

christians and muslims face actual discrimination and have been targets of hate crimes while you whitewashed witches think sephora selling a witchcraft kit is the ultimate oppression https://t.co/6SM8Qo3X71

I see white girls gettin' mad on FB because Sephora is going to sell "witch kits." Talking about their "ancestors ashes trembling", but um, none of those women were witches??? They were innocent human beings???????? ??????????

"First and foremost, to those who have shared their disappointment or taken offense to this product, we apologize profoundly. This was not our intent. We thank you for communicating with us and expressing your feelings. We hear you; we will not be manufacturing or making this product available for sale."

They continued, “Our intention for the product was to create something that celebrates wellness, personal ceremony, and intention setting with a focus on using fragrance as a beauty ritual.”

Sephora does not need to be selling white sage. Non natives do not need to be purchasing sage from non-native sources. Non natives need to stop pretending they’re smudging. There’s nothin cute about exploiting a sacred plant that has no connection to you or your culture.

If you want to use sage then... do you I guess but you’ll only ever be smoke cleansing, you are not smudging. non natives don’t even know how to handle sage properly but if you’re going to do it anyway, at LEAST buy from natives.

Despite the ongoing debate, modern witches and those who are practicing the craft agree that Sephora and Pinrose did the right thing in cancelling the kit before it was released. Herstik told us how she felt when the retailer pulled the product:

"I was really glad to see this because the witch community was LOUD and we weren’t about to shut up about this. $42 for a "witch starter kit?" Come on. You can buy sage from the grocery store and grab a rock from outside and you’ll be good. I’m glad Sephora canceled this because they could have done a great job, and instead, didn’t and now they paid the price."

She continued:

"Being conscious of your magick is a huge part of this practice and something a lot of us are constantly learning about. We just want those who are inspired by us to step it up and hire us to help make the world more magical, instead of adopting our practices to fit a diluted and mainstream narrative."

Like committing to any other religion, if one is serious about diving into witchcraft, it’s pertinent to do the research, learn the history, and respect the belief system and lifestyle you’re choosing.

Talk to those who have been involved in the witchcraft community for years. Seek out your local indigenous spiritual leaders and mentors. Understand the real persecution witches and magical practitioners have gone through (hint: the Salem witch trials don’t count). Create your own tools or buy them from those who put love, care, and knowledge into them.

It’s true that being a “witch” means something different for everyone. But for those who feel like they’ve earned the title, know that being a true witch has nothing to do with the possessionsthey own. Being a witch comes with hard work, dedication, and understanding—none of which can be purchased in a single $42 Sephora kit.

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